Belonging precedes believing. It’s true for our association members. It’s true for our organization’s leaders. The ways we include or exclude others influences their thoughts and actions. It’s more than what we say or write. It’s how we invite others to join and belong, how we greet them, how we appreciate them, how we accept them. Belonging is vital because belonging precedes believing which precedes people behaving together. Meaningful Belonging Leads To Shared Beliefs And … [Read more...]
Conferences Can Foster And Reclaim Authentic Conversations, Deep Connections And Transformational Community
One of society’s greatest paradoxes is that we have more connections today than we did in the past but there is less community and conversation. As a conference organizer, you can seed your annual meeting with experiences that nurture authentic conversations, deep connections and community. You don’t have to sacrifice honest talk for today’s casual chat through digital communications or to sidestep sensitive polarizing topics. You can design, structure and facilitate conference experiences … [Read more...]
Are We Creating The Wrong Type Of Conference Experiences?
Everyone’s talking about the need to create customer experiences. (Yes, including us, the Velvet Chainsaw team.) It’s as if Joe Pine and Jim Gilmore’s Experience Economy is just now hitting its stride—for conferences at least. The word is out: we’ve got to create conference experiences, not just conferences that feel like a patchwork quilt of our great grandmother’s dresses. However, what we really need are transformative conference experiences! We need to create conference opportunities … [Read more...]
Your Conference Needs To Focus On Providing 4D Experiences
Conferences need 4D experiences: deep learning, deep play, deep reflection and deep connections. You probably recall a time in your life when you viewed a 3D movie. You wore 3D glasses and the images looked like they popped out of the screen. Your conference needs more than the gimmick of 3D glasses. It needs authentic 4D experiences. It needs opportunities for participants to experience deep learning, deep play, deep reflection and deep connections. 21st Century 4D Experiences Too many … [Read more...]
